Political Prostitute

In my various posts over the years, I’ve made no secret of my support of Dr. Ron Paul and, even more importantly, the political principles for which he stands. Therefore, I must say that I was pretty surprised when I got an email asking if I would collect signatures to get Newt Gingrich on the ballot here in the state of Virginia. For those that know me, you are aware that I had a lot of respect for the former Speaker that morphed into fear/hate relationship stretching back to my earliest awareness of politics, 1994. Although I would gladly sign any candidate’s petition to get on the ballot, be they Republican, Democratic, third party, or independent, asking my friends and neighbors to do likewise is another matter entirely.

However, the kicker in this situation was the promise of payment for each signature collected. Heaven knows that it is an extremely tough time financially for so many Americans. Personally, I’ve had to resort to creative ways to make money as I wait for the start of my next full-time position…whenever that will be. So, flush with the idea of making a little extra money, I jumped at the chance. However, while working in my current part-time position, I took a moment to reflect upon Newt Gingrich and my time in politics…